Il Vicino’s thin-crusted, gourmet-topped pizzas are perennial favorites among Alibi readers, but the big salads are equally popular. Order at the register and a server brings the food to your table, making weekday lunches speedy. The open kitchen gives you something to stare at while you wait. Stop in for a quick lunch or a late afternoon microbrew on the patio.

A diverse array of drinkers stops by for a cold one every night at the Anodyne. No matter what social clique you belong to or what your beverage of choice is, the staff at the Anodyne make sure you get it fast. It only takes a few visits before the bartenders know what you want before you even ask for it.

It only makes sense to order the steamed artichoke at the Artichoke Café. Slathered in lemon-caper oil and a raspberry vinaigrette, it makes a great starter before trying a more hefty order of grilled curried chicken or sliced steak. Once your lunch or dinner at the upscale Artichoke Café has concluded, you’ve got to adjourn to the sexy wine bar next door. The wine list is actually a leather-bound tome with a massive assortment of wines. Prices start at a decent $28 or $30 a bottle and zoom up into the upper stratospheres of frivolity, but you can also order select vintages by the half-bottle or glass. You'll love the front-facing "big city" windows, curvy wooden bar and comfortable seats.

Located behind JC’s New York Pizza Department, this tap room has 28 revolving taps from New Mexico breweries, national breweries and beer brewed on site. The staff is always friendly and the relaxed atmosphere is sure to cure any post-work stress.

Boese Brothers Brewing doesn’t use any tricks or gimmicks to get people to come to their location because they don’t have to—people know they consistently serve good craft beer at a reasonable price. If you’re in the Downtown area and don’t want to walk into a crowded night club or bar to get a drink, Boese Brothers’ is the best place to go. With this variety of quality brews, there is a beer for anyone. We recommend going on a Sunday night when there’s a comedy open mic.

With everything all shiny and new, you may be overwhelmed upon entry but let the friendly, understanding staff guide you to your table and your soon to be slice of heaven. While the menu is a bit on the small side, all dishes are executed to perfection. While you wait, watch the game or play a game—board games, that is! With all the hubbub around Downtown at night, this is definitely a chill place to escape for a drink or two.

Technically speaking, a dive bar indicates an establishment of ill repute. Furthermore, while we're being technical, Burt's Tiki Lounge is a tiki bar. In any case, the new location for the old Albuquerque favorite is shiny, new and better than ever. The two-level bar not only is getting the best musical acts in the country, they remain showcasing the best local talent. Get whatever your mood requires: Chi Chi, Mai Tai or PBR, there’s no judgement here.

This indoor-outdoor brewery is as cozy as it is fun. The bartenders are friendly and informative, and you’ll often find the owners working the taps with a smile. The identifying feature of the outdoor patio are metal towers stretching high above the building. Gaze up at them as you savor an American dark sour or Scarlet beh gose.

Climb what feels like 500 stairs and enter into a small, neon lit pool hall. In the era of internet jukeboxes, any song you want can blast through the speakers while you pool shark your way through the night. Order from the food trucks downstairs, and mix the best of both worlds: street food and jukebox pool.

Cruise down Central to this Belgian-style brewery in the heart of Downtown. There’s plenty of room for everyone in the enormous space and plenty of beers to choose from. Try the Manikin small Scottish ale, Whistler blonde or Fiction IPA. Get yours by the glass, bottle, growler or keg.

If you’re in the mood to stay up with the twinkling stars and experience how wild Downtown can get, put on your tallest stilettos and totter over to Effex. This popular gay nightclub features go-go dancers, badass DJs, a rooftop bar and tons of people with whom you can get your groove on. Grab a drink from one of multiple bar areas and shake that thang.

Across Edith from the Artichoke Café, Farina’s proximity to some of the most established fine dining in Albuquerque isn't an accident. Farina is the punked-up younger sibling of jazzy Artichoke Café, and it brings a tantalizingly direct message to the neighborhood: pizza, beer and wine, and all of it damn good. Sharp, concise and to the point with 20 superb choices offered by the glass or bottle, Farina’s wine list is straightforward and focused. The bar is comfortable and every wine is perfectly matched to the kitchen’s chic pizzeria offerings.

The New Mexico grass-fed Holy Cow burger comes on a brioche bun, while an ahi tuna sandwich, veggie club and dinner salads offer some more choices for bovine-averse diners. Beer and wine, plus shakes, malts and floats are available to complete the sacrament.

This rooftop bar offers a breezy patio, a menu of small plates and specialty cocktails for those looking to relax after a long day at work (the kind where you wear suits!). The food is hit or miss, but the house-created cocktails—like the spicy-yet-refreshing cucumber-jalapeño margarita—make it well worth a visit.

In Albuquerque there are a handful of rocking places to rock, but when it comes to really rocking out to some sweet rocking rock, be it shredding, noodling, head banging or self-conscious toe-tapping, the Launchpad is where the magic happens. Grab a cocktail or a beer from the bar, head upstairs and enjoy the show.

A good spot downtown to get some tasty, greasy bar food. Get some wings and a beer while you watch the game, or go for one of their 1/2 pound burgers if you’re feeling a little more famished. Come by on a late night for jello shots and dancing, if that’s your bag.

If twerking contests, 18-year-olds and urban dance music is your bag, well, enjoy. Drink some vodka (if you’re over 21), get sweaty on the dance floor with a stranger, and gaze up at the go-go dancers in boots with the fur (with the fur) as they get everybody amped up and ready to drop it like it’s hawt.

After admiring the expanded interior and hip industrial-style lighting, have an award-winning beer or three and wobble on over to whatever food truck is there (which you can find on their website). While the trucks stay until about 10pm, Marble is open ‘til midnight every night except Sunday. Listen to some live bands on the community patio every Saturday night, or grab a growler, six-pack or keg to go if you want to avoid the loyal following this Albuquerque favorite has gathered.

Rio Bravo Brewing Company’s motto is, “Live bold!” So go courageously into that good brewery, and open yourself up to the possibilities of the Duke City pils, La Luz lager or a Level 3 IPA. Pair your brew with something fresh from one of the rotating food trucks that visit, and dance the night away to the slick tunes brought by live musicians.